The growth in counterfeit activities has spurred a corresponding growth in packaging innovations. Here are some of the new ways the pharmaceutical, food and personal care industries are battling this insidious threat.

In healthcare, the advances in treatment and the overall growth of the field spell good news for both the patients and the industry. However, healthcare packagers continue to face daunting challenges, including FDA and regulatory demands for a secure drug supply chain to avoid counterfeit, diverted, substandard or misbranded drugs.

Food products continue to be a fertile environment for counterfeiters. Manufacturers are pressured to ensure the safety of food products as they move through the distribution chain. Meanwhile, consumers, retailers and regulators are demanding that food companies invest in technology such as bar codes and anti-counterfeit labels.

In the personal care industry, safety and health issues are driving the search for packaging innovations to fight against counterfeiting and forgery. For luxury cosmetics makers, in particular, counterfeiting also results in the loss of billions of dollars in lost annual revenues.

But the good news for all three industries is that technology companies continue to roll out innovative packaging solutions to help them win in the brand protection battle.

In the pharmaceutical industry, a Florida-based company has developed equipment which can detect counterfeit drugs in the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain. XStream Systems, Inc. developed a unit to identify dangerous pharmaceuticals in circulation, protecting the public by authenticating these medications before they reach the consumer. The XT250™ System authenticates a drug while still in its sealed container. The “fingerprint” of each drug is completely unique, so questionable medications can be compared to the actual drug’s fingerprint. To do this, an operator places a bottle into the unit and simply presses the “start” button on a touch screen. The molecular crystal structure of the drug is then examined and compared against stored data to receive a “passed” or “failed” message.

The unit accurately scans through opaque plastic, cardboard - even metal packaging to ensure consumer safety. It is adaptable and can be customized for optimal results from the manufacturing plant to the wholesale distributor; enabling testing when and where it is needed most.  This technology allows the industry to look beyond the packaging and into the actual drug itself… can provide verification of raw ingredients and quality control for manufacturers… allows wholesalers conclusive authentication of incoming merchandise and proof of due diligence…and assures the consumer that their medication has been verified as authentic, fortifying their trust in the industry.

In the food industry, YottaMark, Inc., a developer of innovative solutions for protecting high volume branded goods from fraud, recently announced the release of version 2.0 of the YottaMark Authentication Platform. The newest version of YottaMark’s brand protection solution includes unit-level traceability features to automatically detect diversion and ensure security in the distribution channel. The YottaMark Authentication Platform is a unit-level brand protection system for uniquely identifying product units and providing on-demand validation throughout the supply chain and distribution channel, from production to the consumer. Validation and authentication can be accomplished through web portals and via a cell phone anytime, anywhere. The addition of traceability now instantly delivers source of origin information, enhancing the detection of product counterfeiting, diversion and fraud to help brand owners protect and grow brand equity as well as stem losses.

In the cosmetics industry, heat-shrink labels with integrated holograms could help manufacturers in the fight against counterfeiting and forgery. The technology was initially aimed at manufacturers of alcoholic drinks. Created by French firm, Sleever International, the new Holosleeve for wine and spirits bottles uses three cutting-edge technologies. Besides being shrink-wrapped and embossed with a 3D motif, giving each bottle a unique pattern, each label features a hologram that is destroyed once the consumer opens the bottle. Already adopted by the Hennessy Cognac company, the Holosleeve technology could also be used in the perfume, cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors, according to Sleever International.

Another technology aimed at tackling the problem of counterfeited cosmetics and fragrances is AlpVision 's Cryptoglyph technology, which protects secondary packaging against counterfeiting. The system features a covert digital security feature that can be printed with standard printing equipment and seamlessly integrated into the packaging process. According to the company, one of the biggest advantages of the technology for cosmetics and fragrance applications is that it combines an authentication process with a track and trace process, which means that counterfeit and gray market products can be identified by the manufacturer. Also, the technology is not visible and does not require any modification or limitation to the packaging design. In fragrance and luxury cosmetics, this is seen as a crucial advantage.

The critical role of packaging in the anti-counterfeiting crusade is reflected in the various conferences and events dedicated to updating the industry about the latest developments. One of the most important is Packaging Strategies & Innovations Food & Beverage 2008 which will explore drivers and trends in innovative packaging and the development of new technologies for the food and drink packaging segments.

BPCouncil is a media partner in the Packaging Strategies & Innovations Food & Beverage 2008.